U.S.' Mnuchin hopes for 'productive' trade meetings in China

Will the trade war ever end? Potential late March Trump-Xi meeting would likely extend talks

Lloyd Bates
|
14 February, 2019, 07:15

A round of talks at the end of January ended with some progress reported - but no deal and USA declarations that much more work was needed.

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he would consider extending the deadline for a trade deal with China beyond March 1.

The dispute has escalated to encompass $360 billion in trade between the two economic superpowers, and without an agreement by the start of March, the Trump administration is poised to more than double the punitive duties on $200 billion in Chinese goods.

The fact that a presidential-level meeting is still in the cards - and that both sides are now reportedly angling for it to happen in mid-to-late March - means that the 90 days of trade talks are likely to be extended past the March 2 deadline.

USA trade representative Robert Lighthizer and treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin are scheduled to hold talks on Thursday and Friday with Chinese vice premier Liu He, top economic adviser to president Xi Jinping. Officials have said March 1 is a "real deadline" for reaching a deal.

Meghan Markle Is Glowing in Latest Outing With Prince HarryMeghan laughed as a relative of one of the children showed her a photo on her phone, zooming in on the image to get a closer look. Kensington Palace previously revealed that there is no truth to some of the rumors being directed at the Duchess of Sussex .

Trump indicated that he'll wait and see what will come of the ministerial meeting that's starting on Thursday in Beijing.

But at the same time, Trump says he's not inclined to do that. China would likely respond by raising tariffs on $60 billion worth of U.S goods that it announced previous year in retaliation.

While those purchases will provide relief to US farmers, there has been no breakthrough on the structural issues separating the two nations, such as industrial policy, government subsidies, protection of intellectual property or forced transfers of technology. According to a White House official, the delegates were preparing to focus more on pressing Beijing to gain a structural reform in China's business policy for the United States firms.

These include ending China's alleged violations of intellectual-property rights and forced transfers of American technologies.

But US stock markets were less enthusiastic about prospects for a deal, with any optimism overshadowed by concerns about another government shutdown and a diminished 2019 US corporate earnings outlook.

Recommended

Should the issue be resolved quickly, crude production could return to levels seen in prior years and flood the market further. Helping to keep a lid on the market are adequate global inventories, the prospect of weakened demand tied both to U.S.

Monica Witt, who allegedly defected to Iran in 2013, had previously worked as a United States counterintelligence officer. 39-year-old Monica Witt , a counter-intelligence officer and special agent of the Air Force, defected to Iran in 2013.

Fellow goalkeeper Neville Southall added: "RIP Gordon Banks A incredible keeper and it was a joy to have met and worked with him". But the 1966 World Cup victor would always share a joke with his old friend over his part in Pele's unique World Cup story.

Mickelson shot a bogey-free 65 in the final round at Pebble Beach, erasing a three-shot deficit to beat Paul Casey by three shots. It was a decision Mickelson clearly disagreed with, visibly shaking his head when the horn blew to officially halt play.

Samsung's foldable phone features the new "Infinity Flex" display with a 7.3-inch screen of 1536x2152 pixels resolution . Camera specifications for the Galaxy S10 smartphones have also been surfacing since July of a year ago .

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported last month that the Broncos may be among the teams to make a run at Brown this offseason. With over $107 million in cap space right now, the Colts can add literally anyone they want to via free agency (or a trade).

Also , if the March 25 event turns out to be subscription-focused, it isn't clear when new hardware will make an appearance. Of course, Apple hasn't confirmed any details about an upcoming event, or even the existence of a paid-for news service.

They have only won two of their last 11 UEL home games, and in the Champions League they have won just three of their last nine. Socceroos midfielder Mooy played a full game as Huddersfield , rock bottom of the Premier League , offered little resistance.

Aladdin , which also stars Mena Massoud ( Aladdin ) and Naomi Scott (Princess Jasmine) will debut in theaters on May 24 , 2019. Even though there are mixed reactions to Smith as a blue Genie , there is no doubt fans are excited for the film itself.

But Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino announced that the armed forces were deploying a "reinforced presence all along the border". Two weeks ago, the regime-loyalist Supreme Court barred him from leaving the country and froze his assets.

Speaking after the victory at Fulham , Solskjaer applauded the forward, stressing Martial can follow Ronaldo's foot-steps. United have taken 25 points out of a 27 under interim boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer .

Brad Pitt shows up at Jennifer Aniston's 50th birthday bash
Aniston met Pitt in 1998 and they dated for two years before they married in 2000, becoming a high-profile couple in Hollywood . Entertainment Tonight claims Brad spent most of his time chatting to his Ocean's 11 co-star George Clooney during Jen's party.

At least nine dead in India hotel fire
Unconfirmed reports say the death toll is likely to rise as numerous injured jumped from the burning building to the ground. Mandeep Singh Randhawa, deputy police commissioner, said authorities are still investigating what sparked the fire.

Northam says he thought about resigning
Fairfax answered: 'I knew that because of what happened to you past year , you'd be too afraid to say anything.' Mr. Sometimes known as the "Cradle of America", Virginia was home to four of the country's first five presidents.